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Letter to Sen. Hutchison Following 'No' Vote on DREAM Act

As faith leaders who have advocated for the DREAM Act, our hearts break for the thousands of young people who would have benefited from passage of this common-sense, compassionate legislation. We believe deeply in the Scriptural imperative to care for the immigrant, and are keenly aware of the daunting obstacles faced by these young men and women who continue to wait for Congress to pass the DREAM Act. As people of faith and as citizens, we are outraged.

By voting to filibuster the DREAM Act, Sen. Hutchison perpetrated a grave injustice. She should know better. She knows the stories of Bernard Pastor, Gaby Pacheco and thousands of other talented young people – including many Texans -- who yearn to contribute to our nation, but she chose to hide behind empty political excuses. Sen. Hutchison knows our current policies deny hardworking, upstanding young immigrants a fair chance at a bright future because of decisions their parents made years ago. We told her ourselves, but the truth fell on deaf ears, a closed mind and a hardened heart.

The deliberate infliction of hardship on innocent, patriotic young immigrants is a dereliction of Sen. Hutchison’s duties as a public servant, a neighbor and a self-proclaimed person of faith. The Biblical mandate to care for the immigrant and do justice is unmistakable. No Senator who professes to be a person of faith can credibly claim ignorance of these core tenets. Again, we lifted up these teachings to Sen. Hutchison, but the truth fell on deaf ears, a closed mind and a hardened heart. Today, we call on Sen. Hutchison and all those who filibustered the DREAM Act to repent and reflect on their responsibilities as public servants and people of faith, and we demand that they reverse their opposition to this bill.

Despite the setback suffered last weekend, the movement of young people working to pass the DREAM Act is growing stronger every day. As people of faith, we are more committed and more mobilized than ever to support these courageous young immigrants in their fight to pass the DREAM Act, knowing that they will be far better public servants than Senator Hutchison and her colleagues were when they filibustered this legislation.